Research guides: SSM1070H5: Sustainability Law and Policy (Winter 2022): LEGAL DICTIONARIES &amp; ENCYCLOPEDIAS

LEGAL DICTIONARIES

Use dictionaries for brief explanations of terms, concepts and the law in various jurisdictions. These may also reference relevant legislation or case law.

See also the Books section of this guide as some textbooks, core texts and other works may also provide a glossary or term list.

A Dictionary of Environment and Conservation, 3rd edition by Chris Park and Michael Allaby
Call Number: E-book
ISBN: 9780198609957
Publication Date: 2017
Contains 10,000+ entries on all aspects of the environment and conservation. International in scope, it covers both scientific and social aspects of the environment—its key thinkers, treaties, movements, organizations, concepts, and theories.

Words & Phrases
Available in WestlawNext Canada's LawSource database. Select the 'Words & Phrases' link under 'Finding Tools' on the home page of the database. Offers "judicial interpretations of words and phrases drawn from over 100 years of Canadian court and tribunal decisions."
Defined Terms (Cases and Legislation)
Available in WestlawNext Canada's LawSource database. Select the 'Words & Phrases' link under 'Finding Tools' on the home page of the database. Finds definitions of terms as they appear in Canadian statutes, regulations, rules, cases and decisions.
Irwin Law's Canadian Online Legal Dictionary
Derived from glossaries of Canadian law books published by Irwin and supplemented with additional terms, references, and sources by the public.

LEGAL ENCYCLOPEDIAS AND OTHER REFERENCE WORKS

Use these reference works for overviews of the law and key terms and concepts. These can help you identify key pieces of legislation or case law related to a topic, as well as offer analyses or commentary.

See also the Books section of this guide for more in-depth resources on various aspects of sustainability law and policy.

Canadian Encyclopedic Digest (C.E.D.)
Available in WestlawNext.Canada's LawSource database. Select the 'Canadian Encyclopedic Digest' link under 'Commentary' on the home page of the database. A standard legal encyclopedia that provides a general overview of most areas of the "law of Ontario and the four western provinces - provincial, federal and common law" as derived from case law and legislation. It includes separate chapters for Ontario and western provincial environmental law. Other topics covered include water, mines and mining, oil & gas, fish & wildlife, and agriculture.
Halsbury's Laws of Canada - Environment
Available in the Lexis Advance Quicklaw database. A multi-volume reference that offers authoritative overviews of legal topics. The volume on environmental law covers the constitutional framework, environmental protection and regulation, environmental assessment, international environmental issues, and civil liability issues. Caselaw references are hyperlinked. Includes both a glossary and links selected secondary sources for further research. Like C.E.D., other volumes cover other topics that may relate to sustainability.
Canadian Abridgement Digests - ENV Environmental Law
Available in WestlawNext Canada's LawSource database. Select the 'Canadian Abridgement Digests' link under 'Finding Tools' on the home page of the database. Next, select 'ENV Environmental Law.' Summarizes "decisions by Canadian courts and administrative tribunals [ ], organized by legal issue." Covers all reported cases in Canada since 1803, with the exception of Quebec civil cases. Environmental Law covers constitutional issues, liability for environmental harm, and statutory protection of the environment. Can be browsed or searched by keyword.

Elgar Encyclopedia of Environmental Law by Faure, Michael (ed.)
Call Number: E-Book
ISBN: 9781785369520
Publication Date: 2016
Provides "definitive and comprehensive coverage" of the field. The Encyclopedia is organized into 12 volumes written by leading experts around top-level subjects – such as water, energy and climate change – with each volume covering the key elements of law, the essential concepts, and the latest research. Each entry includes an extensive bibliography that can be used for further research.

Oxford Bibliographies Online: Environmental Science
A collection of scholarly, annotated bibliographies on key topics within the discipline. Scroll down to see the articles available in the 'Environmentalist Policy, Governance and Law' section that will identify key texts for further research. Topics covered here include environmental treaties, EU and environmental policy, rulemaking, water security, etc. New entries are regularly added.

Encyclopedia of Global Change by Andrew S. Goudie (Editor); David J. Cuff (Editor)
Call Number: E-Book
ISBN: 0195108256
Publication Date: 2002
A comprehensive, interdisciplinary reference source on the natural and human-made changes in the earth's physical, biological, and chemical systems. Some of the 300 original articles address legal topics.